A little Less Golden
by Cruel Reality
Summary: Harry never went to the dursleys he was sent strait away to an orphanage, how will the world and hogwarts deal with a less golden Harry Potter
1. how it began

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**A/N** ok this story has just been sitting in the back of my head so I decided to see how every one likes it then, well I'll still probably continue because this isn't all about reviews but reviews would be much appreciated.

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**Summery-** The Dursley's never took in Harry he was sent off to an orphanage right after he was found on the doorstep. The time has come for Harry to get his Hogwarts letter, how will Hogwarts and the Wizarding world cope with a darker less golden Harry? 

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**Disclaimer**- Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling 

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The sun was just peaking over the newly morn horizon creating a perfect hue of an orange pinkish colour through out the entire morning sky. The stars of night time were still visible even through the pale mist of morn and the early morning dew.  
  
The cold fog of the night was slowly drifting past warming the air into oblivion, where little peaks of sun shown over the beautiful rolling hills All this was true, especially so on one home, one number 4 Privet Drive in Surry.  
  
This house was in a sense, perfectly normal, nothing a miss no one would suspect any thing wrong or seemingly strange would be taking place here, but this was untrue. Out upon the front patio enfolded in blankets, it only sense of warmness, there was a small baby, not even a year old.  
  
Why you may ask would a baby of such an age be sitting out alone, in the unsafe world instead of inside the warmth that the house in front of it could offer. Well this child is the legendary Harry Potter, defeater of the Dark Lord Voldemort, and newly proclaimed orphan.  
  
Clutched in his small, pale, baby chubby hand was a single letter addressed with a great flare written out to one family, the Dursleys. By now the sun had risen nearly half way in the sky enlightening the entire sky with a pale yellow pink.  
  
Inside the house the occupants were beginning to arise.  
  
One Petunia Dursleys open wide the door to be able to retrieve the daily milk from the door patio. Instead she got a small baby sleeping upon the stoop.  
  
Her loud scream echoed through out the neighbor hood, upon hearing it the small child began to stir, opening one emerald green eye upon the world he caught sight of the person who was to be taking care of him for the next ten years.  
  
"VERNON!!!!!," a shrill scream make it's was through the dense sky, the small baby was now wide awake. And inside the house another child, began to scream, not a crying scream but screaming for candy, food, and what-not.  
  
A large beefy man with almost no neck stepped out from the covertness of the home. He slowly almost frightened looked down at the small bundle his curiosity rising wondering who and why some one would place a child in front of their door. "Yes Petunia?"  
  
"It's her child! Her demon child! Quickly get it out of my sight I will not have it contaminating this house, us, my precious, Dudley." She stormed back into the car and slammed the door.  
  
Now Vernon Dursley was by no means an intelligent man but he knew when he was beat. He picked up little Harry looking at him with a look of mixed pity and disgusted and sub gently placed him in his car. And drove off towards the heart of the city and towards the orphanage where he would ditch the poor child.  
  
Walking in an old ratted building he placed the child begging to god to forgive him for this deed, knowing it was wrong.  
  
He gave the baby to the front desk only giving the child's name and walking off back to his car.  
  
And in this poorly funded orphanage is where the now nation famous boy who lived would spend a good part of his young life. Never knowing who he is, or what he is, or who he will become.

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HARRY'S POINT OF VIEW  
  
I never really thought that one person could make a difference, I'd always held the belief that we are all simple beings of matter floating on the edge of existence waiting for the inevitable to come. As if our lives were already planned out, that we're just pawns of life. I always thought these things but as a fall in the ditch makes you wiser, every simple experience adds to your knowledge. This was all before the letter came, all it seemingly was, was a small white envelope looking entirely harmless, but what it held was. I walk back over to the rickety table holding said letter. I look it over again;  
  
_Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
My name is Albus Dumbledore headmaster of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. Enclosed as you may look after reading this small note is an atteptance to my school. It has come to my recent attention that you may not have the knowledge of your heritage. If you may not know you are a wizard and a powerful one at that. Please hear me out and take to heart what I write in this, it may seem unbelieving, or impossible but I give you my world that it is true. You see you are Harry Potter the last of the Potter lineage, and heir to all it hold. But your parents are what I am really writing to you about. You see in our world there was once an evil lord name Tomas Riddle or what he now calls himself as Voldemort. He wanted to cleanse the world of Muggle borns such as your mother. One night he came to your house and unfortunately killed your mother and father. But joyously when he turned his wand to you, you were saved, you lived. These are only a few things I felt I needed to clear up with you. We can't have you walking into our world unknowns to what awaits you here. So I ask that you listen to this message and take it to heart. I hope to see you at Hogwarts when term begins.  
  
Sincerely yours,  
  
Albus Dumbledore.  
_  
Most of this made no sense to me at all, that was until I read the atteptance letter which was enclosed as said and realized just how serious it was.  
  
Sighing, I quickly wrote a note back saying just how much they must be wrong in their assumption. And I also made sure to tell them now I had no money and couldn't afford to buy it. I had sent it out with the owl that had delivered it to be to begin with, that was yesterday.  
  
I still am not entirely sure that this is all truth, I mean all children in the orphanage, including my self at one point, dream and give themselves false hopes to their abundant future. Telling themselves that one day they would get them self out of this hell hole never to look back.  
  
They all thought that their family would come save them, that their knights in shinning amour would take them away out past the sunset and beyond.  
  
Alas I had taught myself years ago to stop these assumptions, and I learned of what these fairy tales were. Exactly that, fairy tales, nothing but a myth, a phony story in which they lied to themselves to make their life less horrible, and make them think that all would turn out ok, that's only fair.  
  
But in truth life's not fair, not all of us have that knight waiting for us around the bend, waiting to save our souls. The most we can hope to do is to get ourselves out of that insufferable capsule, to in a sense break out of the mold.  
  
I grew up in an orphanage, I knew that life is not fair, if it was then I would be with my parents, they wouldn't be dead.  
  
But that letter, if it was true then maybe, just maybe I will be able to escape this hell hole, this prison. Maybe my life isn't just destined to always be at the bottom, maybe it isn't just another grain of sand on the beach. Even though we must deal with the hand we are dealt. This time it could be that I was dealt a winning hand, and I would play it out.  
  
I look out past the stars into the universe, well I guess that I should probably get some sleep. The morn waits for no one.  
  
As I crawl into the lumpy bed I gaze at the cracked ceiling, I found myself anxious for morning I still wonder weather that letter was true, and I hoped I would be answered in the morning. 

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Saving Grace  
  
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All of the world keeps going past  
Caught up in the moment, as it goes too fast  
Wishing and hoping not caring the cost  
Trying to escape, but I seem to be lost  
  
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Sighs regrets don't know who I am  
Trying pretending but I don't give a damn  
Your deceitful and lying, a seeming disgrace  
I may no be lost but I cant find my place  
  
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All around still go, passing me by  
But I'm stuck still the same, even though I try  
Like I'm in the same place ever and after  
Where I cant feel the love, can't feel the laughter  
  
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Scared out of my wits, afraid to go on  
Don't know where to place, or where to belong  
Can't stand to retain the problems I face  
Or you could just say, that I'm saving grace

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A/N well that's just a beginning chapter, not that bad well what do you all think. PLEASE REVIEW. But when you do suggest which house you think Harry should be in . tootles

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	2. It all began with a man named Tomas Ridd...

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**A/N** thank you for the review Sinner's angel- lol sorry about spelling toodles wrong well thanks anyway for review here's the next chapter  
  
Read and review Please it always helps the writer to know what you all think. .  
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**Summery**- read the first chapter

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**Disclaimer**- Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling not me or else I'd be pretty rich, wouldn't I?

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Now let us begin... CHAPTER 2

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Albus Dumbledore, Order of Merlin first class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, and member of the international confederation of Wizards, sat at his desk in the tall tower of where his office resides.  
  
The room of which he sat was a strange one indeed, looted with all sorts of trifles and what not of which no one, much less the owner could identify of which was the items use.  
  
All around his desk where important looking papers cluttered about as such, but out of all of these his attention was pinned to one single letter. A certain letter from one Harry Potter, son of Lily and James Potter, two of his most ingenious and imaginative students, too which sadly fell al the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort.  
  
From under his waist length beard a small smile escaped his solemn expression. So, he thought, Minerva was right, never should I have left them to those people. Safe he may be but they sent him off with out a second thought. Yes she did say that they would never accept the boy. Oh what a fool I was, and now he has no idea who he is, or what for that matter.  
  
Albus Dumbledore the defeater of Grindelwald in 1945, looked defeated and in a sense looked his age. Even his normally twinkling blue eyes almost always full of joy were now looking frozen over.  
  
Sighing, he said to himself, "I failed you James, Lily but I can only hope that I did not fail to your son."  
  
Knowing what he must do, he twisted his chair around to the fireplace behind him. Reaching into a small jar full of runes he pulled out a small amount of lightly dusty, well dust, it colour was of an earthy jaded green.  
  
Lightly he tossed it upon the fire, almost instantly the blazing red of the fire turned a brilliant emerald green, looking as if it had a slightly sparkled edge to it.  
  
Coughing quickly to clear his throat his strong clear voice called into the fire, with a slight power to it. "Minerva."  
  
Only seconds latter someone's head appeared from within the flames, it was an elderly woman whose face simply looked strict as if not to be crossed. Even inside the miffed flames you could tell she looked muffled, her eyes came to land on the age old wizard whom had called her there.  
  
Albus answered her unanswered question before it was even asked. "Please, Minerva, step through we must be going."  
  
Even if she was before, the woman, called Minerva, looked even more curios then before, but not questioning she stepped through. Now under the head there was a body to go with it.  
  
The strict woman of nature known as Minerva, dusted off her sapphire coloured robes. Asking why she was there and where they were to be going, Dumbledore confessed all, telling her everything.  
  
Sighing she thought, I knew this would happen, Lily often told me in her class how much she really hated her relatives, and how they in turn hated her, and from how much she knew of Lily, she was not one to go around hating just anyone, she was always one with a good heart.  
  
Even knowing this she was slightly baffled, as it wasn't everyday that the Albus Dumbledore admitted that he was wrong and had made a mistake, and that he knew it. She knew that he was and could always be one of the most stubborn men, even more so then Severus, and that was saying something  
  
. Knowing what they were doing and where they were going, they stepped out of the office both of their robes billowing behind them.  
  
Off they went out to the outskirts of London to a little rundown orphanage to inform a young boy of his fate.  
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Harry sat prepped up against the old oak tree which sat in the back of the orphanage, the tree had been here sense the so called 'American Revolution' when their very own were sent over to America in order to keep order.  
  
Most of the lower branches of the tree were all dead and rotting, but if you strained you neck to the top of the tree you could see a few youthful braches still hoisting living sticks sprouting leaves.  
  
He was out there for one reason, to read, inside the orphanage noise prevailed making it almost impossible to do anything which required quiet. At the present moment he was reading Lord of the Rings by Tolkin.  
  
Now he was at the part in which Frodo is at Weathertop (sp?) with the company of the ranger, Strider.  
  
He had read this book so many times he could almost recite the entire book from memory. But in truth the whole concept was he wasn't only out here for a good reading area, but also he wanted to know if the 'wizards' would at all be coming today, and outside was the best place to spot an owl.  
  
Mrs. Curtis, from inside the orphanage, stepped out from the old creaky doors and motioned for him to come in side.  
  
Gathering himself up and replacing the bookmark inside his book, he began the slow step back into his home. His caretaker Mrs. Curtis lead him into one of the empty rooms always kept absent of any one, usually used for when one of the children were to be adopted and the orphanage and the future parents needed to talk of business.  
  
Sitting on the settee was a man whom looked to be ancient with the colourful looking... what were those robes? Giving the man a some what curious look, he noticed another person in the room.  
  
This one was old, not as old as the man of coarse, but old none the less, but what stood out most was the fact that she looked like the most serious person he had ever seen, and she looked even stricter then his very own Mrs. Curtis.  
  
Taking his own place on a small armchair across from the strange robed couple he pretended not to look intimidated. "Harry," the elderly looking man began, also looking as thought he was trying to find the right words to say.  
  
"My name is Albus Dumbledore, I believe you received and invite to my school.  
  
Looking down over his glasses one could see that the twinkle was back in his eyes.  
  
"Yes," Harry began cautiously searching for some polite way to begin asking his questions. But alas he didn't have to, Albus sensing his hesitation he began talking again.  
  
"Yes I know that you have many question, most but not all I will have the answers to. But before I get ahead of myself, let me begin from the beginning. There once was a man named Tomas Marvolo Riddle, whom began calling himself Voldemort........"  
  
Harry listened raptly to the whole story, but still not understanding where he came in. But once the question was answered he didn't know what to say.  
  
After the entire story had been said and was done, the strict looking woman looked on the verge of tears.  
  
And the man, Dumbledore looked not to far off from that stage as well.  
  
But only one question came into his mind, "Why was he after me, or what I mean my father, the Potters in general? I mean why set your sights on only one family that may of well have been his down fall. And above all how was I able to stop him. Albeit I'm not much," with finishing the last he motioned to himself. Albus chuckled slightly,  
  
"Harry, appearance is only skin deep."  
  
Still chuckling, him and the woman stood up.  
  
"This is Minerva, of coarse you must refer to her as Professor McGonagall once the term begins." Dusting the nonexistent dust from his robes he began walking toward the door,  
  
"Well come on then, we really must be off."  
  
He took out an old looking pocket watch and opened the door slightly, but looked back once Harry began to question him.  
  
"What where are we going?" he looked startled and questionable  
  
. Giving the boy a smile Dumbledore turned around fully to face the young wizard,  
  
"Well Harry you cant begin school with out any supplies its time to go shopping." He put away the watch and began walking again.  
  
"But where exactly are we going." He was a little annoyed the way the elder wizard cryptically answered or didn't answer as the case may be, his questions. Dumbledore turned his head slightly giving a small smile,  
  
"To Diagon Alley of coarse." Then fully walking out the door he turned the corner, Harry and the other professor followed.

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A/N I know that Dumbledore seems to be just a little out of character sorry about that but it does seem to some what fit him in a sense. sorry this really didn't get to far I'm going to see the Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban in a few minutes. So I have to go but please read and review. And I'm really sorry that this is soooooooooooooo short. 

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P.S. When you review could you please give me some suggestions on where Harry should be sorted I have some of my own ideas but if more people have other ideas I'll use them instead so Please Review the storys, and any tips on how I should work the story would be great!!!!!

Thanks every one.


	3. i sit beside the fire and think

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A/N YEAH NEXT CHAPTER!!!!! I'm happy cause I have finally finished finals those evil things. Sorry I'm just a little hyper I can finally say good bye to those bastards in school NO MORE 8TH GRADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Disclaimer don't own any thing that you recognize 

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At the present moment Harry was tailing closely behind the two Hogwarts professors with apt attention. The two ahead of him had been talking, of what? He didn't know exactly but it seemed to be really important, so he didn't interfere. The three of them seemed to be headed toward down town London, seemingly right to the heart of the city.  
  
Harry really wasn't concerning himself with where they where going, no, he had been spending the entire detour staring out wondrously at the surrounding buildings, all this seeing has he had yet to be out this far from the stairs of the old orphanage.  
  
Even though on the outside he looked just like a kid in a candy store inside he was pondering the whole concept.  
  
He knew where they were taking him; to get the school supplies which he would need come the first of September. But really what did they take him for? An unending money rich shirt? He had always had known that knowledge was power and one of the most important things of life, but he also knew that power had a price. He lived in an orphanage for God's sake, he wasn't swarming in money, how did they expect him to buy the supplies.  
  
And one thing that he did know was that he would never let them pay for it, he wasn't some charity case of the like.  
  
They seemed nice and understanding but yet he didn't let his guard down. It had taken him a long while to build it up; he would not break it down with the snap of the fingers.  
  
If anything he was going to use this whole experience making sure that he soaked up anything and everything that he could.  
  
Looking ahead of him he saw that the two elder magiks had stopped in front of a dungy little building, the pub looked monstrously out of date, and was in need of some quick repair. All across the top of the pub there was some choppy golden lettering,  
  
_THE LEAKY CAULDREN._  
  
Dumbledore, seeing Harry's apprehension placed a hand on his shoulder and lead him inside, Minerva followed. Once inside Harry noticed just how out of place he was, every one inside was wearing strange robes like to two beside him, and not every one in here looked completely human, but in the case of being wrong he kept his mouth shut.  
  
"Harry, we have to get along, we don't want any....." The voice of Dumbledore trailed off but Harry understood in general what he had meant, no distractions and such today.  
  
Now, Harry had known that his whole assumption about the little pub behind him was wrong, so now he could only wait for what splendors would be in, as Dumbledore said, 'the great Diagon Alley'. But instead what Harry got was a deserted alley way, nothing was here, except the old garbage cans, plus all the garbage.  
  
Dumbledore stepped forward and took out his wand before Harry could voice his accusations. Making himself look like an old blind man with his walking stick, Dumbledore started tapping his wand upon the outward wall behind the pub.  
  
The wall began to shaking, and then a small opening began to get bigger from the wall.  
  
Once large enough for the three of them, they all took a step inside. "Welcome, my boy," Dumbledore began to whisper into his ear, "To Diagon Alley,"  
  
Harry was now amazed, all around him where glorious shops, each holding some thing strange but wonderful to him. His eyes were as big as saucers not wanting them to be taken away from what he was now witnessing.  
  
"Come now Harry, we must get your school supplies, but of coarse off to Gringotts." He followed Minerva whom had spoken up to an old marble building and they walked right in.  
  
(A/N I don't have the books with me so if anyone knows that little poem Harry reads when he first walks in can some one tell me please!)  
  
The boy who lived stared at the strange creatures, they were somewhat frightening. Looking up at Dumbledore wonder what exactly these greedy minors where doing guarding the money of the wizarding world.  
  
"Don't worry Harry these are well greedy I know but there is no safer place to hind treasures to hold. Yes I believe the old saying goes; 

_ we must not look at Goblin men, we must not buy their fruits, whom knows upon which soil they feed, their hungry thirsty roots?.....Their offers should not harm us, their evil gifts may harm us. Those merry wanderers of the night."_

Dumbledore paused at looked at the goblins again, then began walking up toward the front desk.  
  
The Goblin sitting at the front desk had a semi evil look on his face and with every second that Dumbledore spoke his small grayish mouth turned upward in a devilish smirk. From the position in which Harry was standing, he could see Dumbledore hand the Goblin a small key.

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They walked out of Flourish and Blotts carrying piles and piles of books in their arms. Not only Harry's but it seemed that Albus and Minerva needed before school supplies. Harry looked at his list and noticed that they were finally almost done.  
  
"Harry, Minerva and myself shall go and get your potion equipment, so how about you go get your uniform then we can go get your wand." Albus gave a little chuckle and walked off.  
  
Walking in the clothing store, he noticed he wasn't alone.  
  
"Hogwarts too?" a very snobbish looking boy with aristocrat pointed features and platinum blonde hair.  
  
All Harry did was nod.  
  
"So do you know what house you will be in, me? I know I'm going to be in Slytherin." Harry had no idea what he was talking about, but him being him played along pretending he knew all.  
  
"We really wont know until we get there will we now." Harry gave the boy a pointed look clearly showing superiority. All the boy did was nod then continued.  
  
"The names Draco Malfoy, as I'm sure you've heard of me," Now Harry could tell that this boy could be a hard one to like and seemed to be a little too full on himself, as it was.  
  
"No, sorry I cant say that I have, should I? Well anyway you can just call me Harry."  
  
"Harry wha...." Draco was cut off as the store keep came and interrupted them, sending Draco out and measuring Harry in turn.

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Minerva, Albus, and Harry walked into Olivanders, and almost instantly Harry began to look about in wonder, which he found he had been doing a lot lately. All around boxes dominated, as well as dust, upon any movement Harry fought the urge to suddenly sneeze.  
  
While he was looking around he didn't notice an old stringy man come up behind him. His cloths were out of this world, or maybe from this world back two hundred years. Each of them seemed to be Carbon Dated like he hadn't changed them in the last century, and they were almost as dusty as the wands surrounding.  
  
"Ah Dumbledore, my old friend," Olivander's voice sounded old and some what crackly. "Haven't seen you for a while, and Minerva too what a surprise. But of coarse I know what you are here for." He looked over at Harry at looked like he comprehended him.  
  
Suddenly Harry had a wand shoved in his face; he took it and looked around. He knew that he looked really stupid.  
  
"Well give it wave." Olivander's voice suddenly broke through his thoughts. Then he just whipped it around like a baton. Before he could really try to understand what the point of it was it was snatch and another was placed inside of his hand, with Olivander looking on expectantly.  
  
Giving this one a wave several things exploded and the wand flew out of his hand and hit Olivander on top of the head. They all went through hundreds of wands, each in turn blowing something up, shooting something around, or starting something on fire, a few times Olivander's and Dumbledore's beards started on fire.  
  
Finally a single and what seemed like final wand was placed in his hand and he felt a warmth crawl all the way up his body. Swinging the wand down silver and red sparks flew out.  
  
"Excellent but surely curious," Olivander started pacing.  
  
"Um... excuse me but what is exactly curious about this, meaning no offence of coarse?" Harry was trying hard to be polite.  
  
"You see the phoenix feather which resides in side your wand gave another for the use of a wand, making that wand it brother. It is curious you see that you should be destined for this wand..... Where its brother, gave you that scar." He had thankfully said this quiet enough so that no one else heard this.  
  
Harry looked surprised, and then the thought turned to thoughtfulness, Voldemort and him. They both shared a brother wand, they were more alike then he cared to think about.  
  
The three of them walked out Dumbledore having paid for Harry's wand. They walked out with Harry still pondering in his thoughts.  
  
How alike were him and the dark lord?

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_I sit beside the fire and think,_

_of all that I have seen,_

_Of medow-flowers and butterflies_

_and summers that have been,_

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_Of yellow leaves and gossamer_

_in auttoms that there were_

_with morning mist and silver sun_

_and wind upon my hair_

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_I sit beside the fire and think_

_of how the world will be _

_when winter comes with out a spring_

_that I shall ever see_

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_For there are still so many things_

_that I have never seen_

_in every wood in every spring_

_there is a different green_

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_I sit beside the fire and think_

_of people long ago_

_and people who will see a world _

_that I shall never know_

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_But all the while I sit and think_

_of times there were before_

_I listen for returning feet_

_and voices at the door_

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A/N I just have always liked that peom its by Tolkin .

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A/N YEAH IM ALL DONE. . Finally today we're out of school yippee!!! I'm so Happy its summer time.

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Please reivew!!!!!!!!!!!!

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